Watercraft such as stand-up paddle boards, surfboards, kayaks, kite boards, wake boards, and other such watercraft are used in water sports and allow a user to navigate a body of water. A single or multiple fin/skeg (hereinafter “fin”) is traditionally used on watercraft to improve directional stability and tracking. They are typically mounted near the aft of a watercraft. Most of these types of watercraft incorporate a fin mounting box which is permanently mounted and embedded into cavities drilled or routed into the underside of the watercraft body. Or in some cases, such as with inflatable watercraft, the fin mounting box is adhered to the underside exterior of the watercraft body. The fin mounting box is designed in such a way that fins can be quickly and conveniently disconnected from a fin mounting box typically with a screw(s) or sometimes with a quick connect latch or other such mechanism, and replaced by different fins or moved forward or aft within the fin mounting box for different stability and maneuverability characteristics.
The drawback with these prior art fin mounting box systems is that the fins are mounted to the fin mounting box in a rigid fashion and cannot retract when coming into contact with subsurface objects. This can be problematic when traveling in shallow waters. When the rigid mount fin comes in contact with and subsurface object, the watercraft can abruptly jerk or stop suddenly. This can result in an uncomfortable experience for the watercraft occupant. In the case of a standing occupant, this could involve falling to ones knees or possibly falling from the watercraft.
Additionally, it is possible that after striking an object, the fin and/or fin mounting box can become damaged. Damage to the marine ecosystems could also occur if the fin was to strike an object such as a coral reef or marine life. The rigid mount fin also has a tendency to catch kelp and other marine debris on its forward edge thereby slowing the watercraft.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a retractable fin system. The prior art has recognized a need for a retractable fin system, as evidenced by several patents disclosing different types of retractable fin systems. Retractable fin system prior art is typically permanently affixed to the watercraft and manufactured integral to the body of the watercraft at the time of initial watercraft assembly. This is because retractable fin system prior art can only operate with a unique fin box mechanism that is custom designed to operate with one specific retractable fin. Other retractable fin system prior art requires expert/professional installation such as drilling, epoxy or gluing. None of the retractable fin prior art can be affixed to the rigid fin mounting box prior art. Additionally, the retractable fin system prior art does not provide the interchangeability benefits that the rigid fin mounting box prior art systems provide such as the ability to be conveniently disconnected from a fin mounting box and replaced by different fins or moved about the fin mounting box for different stability and maneuverability characteristics.
In order to enjoy the benefits of the retractable fin prior art, the watercraft user is either required to purchase an entire watercraft with this feature already fabricated into the hull or they are required to hire an expert/professional to permanently fasten the retractable fin system to a watercraft in some way. Both of these options can be costly and do not provide the versatility of a quick connect, interchangeable and adjustable fin mounting box that the rigid fin prior art provides and is common place in the industry. In both options, the watercraft is permanently modified in order to retain the retractable fin feature.